Bo Bennett has always thought of himself as being “on the
cutting edge of technology,” and after creating his own webhosting platform, as
well as one of the first ever documented affiliate programs on the Web, he went
on to run a number of tech companies. His current project is eBookIt, an eBook
conversion service and marketplace intent on providing burgeoning and seasoned
authors with a simple (and inexpensive) option to turn their books digital and
market them for the wide array of e-reader devices available.

WM: After all you’ve done working on the Web, What made
you decide to start an eBook conversion service?

Bo Bennett: I wrote my first book, called Year to Success, in 2004. In 2010, I
bought an Apple iPad and instantly fell in love with the iBookstore. At that
moment, I realized eBooks were here to stay.

I began researching different options for converting my book
to various eBook formats and making it available through the online retailers.
I started out with a leading service that offers free conversion and
publication, promising its both “quick” and “easy.” I found that before I could
upload the book, I had to format it to the company’s exact specifications
following a very lengthy style guide. I attempted to upload the text of the book
several times, only to find the conversion failed the validation tests each and
every time.

If a gadget-loving, computer-programming, software-creating,
tech-company-running author like me had trouble, what hope is there for the
typical author who may or may not have a technical background?

I created eBookIt.com out of my conviction that an author
should have an inexpensive, simple and truly fool-proof way to get their book
converted to eBook format, and submitted to the major online retailers fast, so
they can get started capitalizing on the exploding eBook market.

WM: So, what did you want to do with eBookIt to set it apart from other
eBook formatting services out there?

BB: I wanted to create a service for authors and publishers
that was cost-effective and resulted in a finished product the author could be
proud of.

WM: What should an author do before he or she comes to you with a book
they want formatted?

BB: Write the book. :)

It does help to have the book all in one document, laid out
the way they would like it to look. We do offer some pre-production
services like editing services and proofreading.

WM: And what type of files does eBookIt convert?

BB: We convert .pages, .doc/docx, .odt, .rtf and pdf files

WM: Which e-reader devices can you format eBooks for?

BB: All of the major ones on the market today including the
Kindle Fire, iPad, Color Nook, Sony+Kobo eReaders, and any other device that
can read .epub or .pdf files.

WM: What is the cost of formatting a single eBook for all of these
different devices?

BB: $149 from an editable source file (like a Word Doc),
$249 from a pdf file, and $3 per page from a physical book, which includes
scanning, OCR, formatting, converting, and distribution.

WM: What do you do with an eBook once it has been converted?

BB: We send the converted files, along with all the required
metadata, to the book retailers. Since each retailer has their own
requirements for submission, our relationship with the retailers saves our
clients lots of time and energy.

WM: What if an eBook has charts, graphs or other non-text
considerations? How much do you charge for converting this content?

BB: There is no extra charge. What most ebook formats
cannot handle, we convert into images. If we feel the book will be
problematic for ebook format, like many textbooks, we let the client know and
offer suggestions on how to proceed – if proceeding make sense.

WM: Does eBookIt have its own marketplace? For the author, what are the
advantages of selling their book through eBookIt.com instead of a company like
Amazon or Apple?

BB: Yes we do. We encourage our authors to direct
their traffic to their own sales page on eBookIt.com. Unlike other retail
sites, there are no backlinks to a larger store, so it is not easy to lose
traffic to a competitor's book. Also, authors get to keep 75% of the
sales price – a generous bump from the average retailer.

WM: Do you do ISBN registration? What does this involve for authors and
how much does it cost?

BB: ISBNs are included in the fee. We take care of all
the necessary registration with Bowker.

WM: What final advice can you give to someone who wants to start
writing and distributing eBooks?

BB: Don't put it off any longer. If you have a decent
book that sells well, you can have a nice little income for yourself. If
you have a great book that sells very well, you can find yourself living your
dream of being a successful author.